Fish was a staple dish in the diet of the Middle Ages. Sardines, sea bream and herring, fresh or preserved in salted or smoked fish, were common in the inland markets of the peninsula. Bermeo, Lekeitio and Ondarroa became the destination of the trade routes with the interior, through the port of Urkiola, between Durango and Vitoria.
Fish was exported mainly in winter, when the muleteers arrived at the fishermen’s guilds in these ports to buy fresh fish, which they preserved in barrels with snow, taking advantage of the low temperatures of the season. When they travelled the reverse route, they brought wheat, salt, vinegar and wine from La Rioja, Navarre or Castile.
Under the protection of this traffic in fish and cereals, the marketing of a luxury product began: wine, which came mainly from Rioja Alavesa and which was more appreciated and more expensive than the local txakoli.
The mule drivers crossed the difficult terrain of a territory that was very busy on a daily basis, as fresh fish from Bizkaia reached the Vitoria-Gasteiz market every day.
The route was maintained until the beginning of the 20th century; now, converted into a Tourist-Cultural Itinerary and a GR (GR 38), it aims to recover its former splendour for the new walkers of the 21st century.
The route is divided into two, one to Ondarroa and the other to Lekeitio.
Ziortza-Bolibar – Ondarroa
Start: Astoaga, Ziortza-Bolibar
End of the route: Ondarroa
Distance: 22 Km
Difficulty level: medium
Approximate time: 8 h 5′.
Points of interest:
– Zenarruza Monastery
– Simón Bolivar Museum and the village of Ziortza-Bolibar
– Saint Eufemi
– Hermitage of Santutxu
– Asterrika neighbourhood
– Ondarroa
Ziortza-Bolibar – Lekeitio
Start: Astoaga, Ziortza-Bolibar
End of the route: Lekeitio
Distance: 21 Km
Difficulty level: medium
Approximate time: 7 h 3
Points of interest:
– Zenarruza Monastery
– Simón Bolivar Museum and the village of Ziortza-Bolibar
– Saint Eufemi
– Hermitage of Santutxu
– Bolua
– Amoroto Centre
– Lekeitio